Letters to the Editor 12/19/13

Senseless mayhem in Mayberry as Barney Fife jails the entire town for jaywalking while the sheriff is gone.

PHOTO COURTESY CBS TELEVISION

BARNEY FIFEReading the article by Phil Bradley (“The cop was right to ticket me,” Dec. 5) about the Illinois State Police captain he called “straight arrow” because he would “ticket his own mother,” I was reminded of TV Deputy Barney Fife throwing the whole town of Mayberry in jail for chronic jaywalking while Sheriff Andy was out of town. Phil Bradley’s accolades for this officer’s performance was a slap in the face to the good officers who, like Sheriff Andy, exercise common sense, fairness and helpfulness daily while on duty. They are the real “straight arrows” and I praise them.

It is apparent that the ISP judges the quality of its officers by more than the number of tickets they write. Case in point, this captain’s reassignment to Cairo, Ill. And about Mayberry’s chronic jaywalking problem, I remember wisdom of my late father, “Watch for the cars, not the traffic lights. No one was ever run over by a traffic light.”

Michael J. HartSpringfield

BAH, HUMBUGIn reference to James Krohe Jr.’s article on state pensions (“Promises, promises,” Dec. 12); when he was young and did not get a toy he wanted for Christmas, did he forbid others from having it? After all, if he does not have it, it can’t be a good thing, right?

Greg BouillonSpringfield

Response from James Krohe Jr.: No, I wouldn’t forbid other kids from having bears – unless they were asking me to pay for them.

PENSION SNOLLYGOSTERSIllinois Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Doug Whitley gives praise to Illinois government for so-calledpension reform.

These reforms, nothing but abbatoirish persiflage, were enacted under the gun of bond rating companies telling Illinois if they do not do something their bonds would be downgraded to “junk status” which institutional investment companies are forbidden to buy.

This is the usual Illinois razzle dazzle. Corrupt Illinois government leadership knows in a couple years the pension reform laws will be found to be unconstitutional, but by that time, they will be past the 2014 election and working on more tax increases. Doug Whitley does a disservice by implying business agrees with actions of these political snollygosters.

Bill KleinSpringfield

SPREAD PENSION PAINAs a non-state retiree, I am not impacted by the recent action taken by the legislature on state retiree pensions. But it does seem unfair to heap the correction of the state’s years and years of fiscal irresponsibility regarding pension funding solely on state retirees.

While no one likes paying more money to state government, the pain of offsetting all those years of not funding future pensions should be borne by everyone in the state, via tax increases or whatever, not just state retirees through reductions in their owed pensions, along with a serious look at reducing some less essential state services.

Dick McLaneSpringfield

For the record: Contrary to an opinion piece published Dec. 4, Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin has not spoken out about the impact of raises on Springfield’s pension obligations every time the city council has voted on collective bargaining agreements. In fact, McMenamin has expressed concerns at least five times during at least a dozen votes on collective bargaining agreements during 2012 and 2013, according to a review of council minutes and tapes of meetings.